Markets in Everything – Character Development

Acclaimed author Will Shetterly is auctioning the rights to be a character in his next novel.

If you win this auction, you or a character with a name and description of your choosing will make a cameo appearance in The Secret Academy, a novel that will be published by Tor Books. I’m Will Shetterly, award-winning author of novels and short stories. My best-praised book, Dogland, was called “A masterwork (that) deserves the widest possible audience” by Ellen Kushner, host of National Public Radio’s “Sound & Spirit.” Publisher’s Weekly said it was “A deceptively simple story, rich with complex characters and timeless themes.” And Kirkus called it, “Compelling, absorbing, hard-edged work, lit by glimpses of another, more fantastic reality … child-centered but tackling adult themes fearlessly and with great charm.”

I can’t promise that this book will be as good as Dogland. If you want to peek at what it looks like so far, I’m posting the current draft in installments at: http://secretacademy.blogspot.com

Your role may be brief, but I’ll do my best to make it memorable. The book is set around 1970, so you may have to be modified for the sake of the story. (It was a dangerous time for hair; be warned!) Most likely, you’ll end up being a student or a teacher. I wouldn’t make you an unlikeable character without getting your permission in writing first. (Alas, it’s not a melodrama, so you can’t be a villain, which is the part I would want in someone else’s book. Maybe another writer will provide the opportunity if this auction does well.)

Thanks to Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing Blog for the tip.

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